Arroyo vows to ‘carry out’ Duterte’s legislative agenda at House

Arroyo vows to ‘carry out’ Duterte’s legislative agenda at House (Photo: KING RODRIGUEZ/ Presidential Photo)

MANILA — Former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday vowed to “carry out” the legislative agenda of President Rodrigo R. Duterte as she takes on the helm of the lower chamber.

“I am extremely honored to have been supported by my colleagues at the House of Representatives to be their new Speaker. I will endeavor to carry out the legislative agenda of President Rodrigo Duterte in the Lower House,” Arroyo said in a statement.

The House on Monday night reached a majority vote to formally install Arroyo as the new Speaker, replacing Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez. She is the first female to assume the speakership post.

Arroyo was elected as the new House Speaker after getting a total of 184 votes. Only 12 lawmakers abstained from voting.

The lower chamber held a special session immediately after Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address. Deputy Speaker Rolando Andaya Jr. presided over the session.

She took her oath as Speaker before Ang Kabuhayan Partylist Rep. Dennis Laogan, the youngest congressman in the 17th Congress.

The ouster move against Alvarez came after a manifesto of support to endorse Arroyo’s speakership bid circulated Monday morning.

The leadership row between Alvarez and Arroyo stalled Duterte’s SONA speech by more than an hour.